Central Oregon educators gather for a School Retool activity put on by HDESD

Revamping a school starts at the top. But it also begins with small change. For teachers, educational assistants, counselors and students to feel like they can make a difference with their ideas, they need a leader who will support them.

High Desert Education Service District offers a fellowship through the d.school at Stanford University that encourages leaders to do just that. School Retool, a professional development fellowship created by the d.school, IDEO and the Hewlett Foundation, gives educators the chance to reinvent their school culture using a change process inspired by design thinking.

For the second year in a row, HDESD gathered about 15 educators nominated by their school districts to take part in the School Retool fellowship in Central Oregon, which lasts from January to April.

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Advocating for Students

Together, the High Desert Education Association and the leadership of the High Desert Education Service District stand in solidarity for the need for stable funding and stronger investment in K-12 education. We also stand for this being the time to speak up. At the same time, we recognize that we serve the most vulnerable students in the region which is why we will be holding a “walk-in” together at the beginning of the day on May 8th. We believe that a “walk-in” will allow us to advocate for our students with a unified voice for bringing more public attention to the need for increased investments to early learning, k-12 education, and our community colleges, while also ensuring our students do not miss valuable instructional time.

#RedforEd

Learning to make stick figures dance by using code

Central Oregon STEM Hub invited Crook County Middle School Computer Science (CS) students to experience the coding of music and lights. Each student was given a doll part to code and then come together to make the dolls appear to be dancing to the music. This innovative way to teach code is through a partnership with Western Oregon University who is combining theater and CS as a way to showcase CS in a different way!

2019 Bend Chamber Community Hero -- Anna Higgins

Congratulations to Anna Higgins on receiving the Bend Chamber Community Hero award. This award acknowledges women who are making outstanding contributions to their community. Community Heroes demonstrate how people with passion and determination can use their lives to make a difference in the community. Anna is HDESDs Director of Innovation. This photo is fitting of Anna’s passion…working and pitching ideas on improving education.

Photo: Anna, center, is photographed with district leaders

For more information on this award and others, visit www.bendchamber.org

Smiles and Snow

On Wednesday February 13th, the HDESD Vision Team partnered with Oregon Adaptive Sports for an exciting snow filled skiing/snowboarding day for our students. We all got to experience more than our typical vision loss due to the white out conditions! We had some thrilling firsts – first time snowboarding, and first time up a lift! Another student really enjoyed a full day of sit skiing. Students were asking what our next vision adventure will be and hoping it was soon!

Making Math more Meaningful

During one of their monthly Math in Real Life (MIRL) meetings, local math, science and career and technical education (CTE) teachers became students for the day and were taught how to read blueprints and construct a model shed out of balsa wood. This day also provided teachers with an opportunity to think about how they can use new technology ideas, such as SAM labs, in their classrooms to increase student interest and make math more meaningful. SAM lab kits are wireless electronic blocks that have lights, motors and, buzzers. With an app, students can code the behaviors of the blocks.

What is the High Desert Education Service District?

HDESD is a publicly-funded agency that partners with local school districts to provide high-quality, cost-effective and locally responsive education services at a regional level. These services range from business, legal, and administrative support to school improvement efforts and special education programs.

What types of services do we provide?

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Services for Children with Special Needs

We partner with local school districts to provide services to families and students who are at risk or have special educational needs.

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School Improvement Services

We provide consultation, on-site and regional professional development, consortia, grant projects, and student programs.

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Administrative Services

We support business, administrative and operational functions for HDESD and partner school districts. Other services are also available to support home and alternative learning.

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Information Services

We offer a wide range of information technology and instructional support services to both HDESD and school district staff.

The Promise of Oregon banner with student photos

Students are Oregon’s greatest natural resource, and we must invest in their education. High Desert ESD is keeping the Promise of Oregon. To learn more, visit: promiseoregon.org

The Oregon School Boards Association, a member services organization based in Salem, founded “The Promise of Oregon” campaign in 2014 to focus attention on the accomplishments of Oregon’s kindergarten-14 students and the need to adequately fund public education.

SafeOregon is a program created for Oregon students, parents, school staff, community members and law enforcement officers to report and respond to student safety threats.